Analytical instrumentation can be used to determine both qualitative and quantitative information about the composition of both inorganic and organic samples. Instrumentation such as mass spectrometry instrumentation can be used to determine the structures of a wide variety of complex molecular species. Additionally, mass spectrometry can be utilized to determine the structure and composition of solid surfaces as well.
As early as 1920, the behavior of ions in magnetic fields was described for the purposes of determining the isotopic abundances of elements. In the 1960s, a theory describing fragmentation of molecular species was developed for the purpose of identifying structures of complex molecules. In the 1970s, mass spectrometers and new ionization techniques were introduced providing high-speed analysis of complex mixtures and thereby enhancing the capacity for structure determination.
Advances in data acquisition and processing have provided for increased sensitivity and accuracy of mass spectrometry instrumentation. U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,162 to Jarman, et al. describes a method of identifying features in indexed analytical data, especially useful for distinguishing signal from noise in data provided as a plurality of ordered pairs, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,523 to Jarman, et al. describes a method and apparatus to characterize the presence of peaks in an indexed data set for samples that match a reference species, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
With these advances there remains a need for analytical instrumentation to perform multiple functions within a smaller physical space. A need remains for portable analytical instrumentation, while in others a need remains to increase throughput by reducing loss mechanisms. The present disclosure provides instruments, assemblies, and/or methods that can be used, in exemplary embodiments, to meet these needs.